Pet Names
by thisobsessioniscontagious
Summary: Noah thinks they are idiotic ways to make cheating easier. Lindsay thinks they are cute expressions of love. Which definition is the right one? Noah/Lindsay. One-Shot.


**Pet-Names**

**1. One-Shot**

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**This is complete and utter fluff. Short and sweet, meant for a quick warm-fuzzy feeling. My apologies to anyone looking high and low for a deep, intellectual read – this isn't it. This is just a way to express my love of fanon and love of… well, love.**

**Oh, and for the record - I don't own Total Drama Island or any variations, spin-offs, or associated aspects.**

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"Awe, Cupcake, that's _sooo_ adorable!"

Noah carefully peeled his book away and risked looking down at Lindsay. She was curled up on her side with her arms hugging him to the outline of her form and her head snuggled up in the crook of his neck. The way she was nestled to him, it looked as if she'd came into the world solely to attach to his side. Not that he minded – one of Noah's favorite aspects of dating Lindsay was the way she curled up to him as he read. While he got lost in the pages, a soft stroking of her fingers across his vest or tangling in his hair brought him to new levels of contentment and rapture that pages in a book couldn't.

Still, his delight burnt out into a pile of ashes as he tuned into her latest quote-worthy statement of the day.

"… Who's 'Cupcake' and what's so adorable?" Noah chanced asking, already hearing her answer echoing in his mind.

Lindsay giggled and tapped his nose with a well-manicured nail. "_You're_ Cupcake, silly!" He was afraid of that. "And I thought it was adorable how you licked your lips like that just now! You do that every now and then. I think that's why your lips are so chapped."

As Lindsay outlined Noah's lips, he felt his face drain. The romantic gesture was enough to have him losing color, but the blow to his ego was just painful. His lips weren't _that_ chapped… she didn't know what she was talking about, it was as simple as that. "I don't know what you're talking about. Furthermore, I'd prefer you not call me… ugh… 'Cupcake' if you can manage."

Lindsay snapped her hand back as Noah shrugged her off, dipping his nose straight into the pages of his book in an attempt to get his mindset back onto the plot of his current read.

She pouted and sat up, swinging her legs around him and straddling his waist, with her hands pressed against his stomach to give herself enough leverage to peak over his book. "Wait a second – what's so bad about Cupcake? I think it's cute!"

"And _I_ think it's absurd." Noah rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Lindsay, you can barely remember my name as it is. Now you want to go and give me a pet-name to make things easier on you? I think not."

Lindsay brow's clashed together in distress. "What? That's not why!"

"I'm sure it isn't." Noah said derisively, not buying it for a minute. "As I'm also sure you won't call me variations of whatever pops into your mind and dub it a 'pet-name' so I don't take it personally when you call me the wrong name. Really, if you can't respect me enough to even know something so simple as that, don't try to cover it up. Be straightforward – I know you can't be _that_ dumb."

Noah's mind was swirling with all the instances of her calling him the wrong thing. When they had started going out, her favorite 'pet-name' for him had been _Tyler_. She had to be severely underestimating him to think that he'd be so easily conned. It was a typical move to pull off to make life easier from one lover to the next, and he'd have no part of it.

It was quiet for a while when Noah decided to check in and see how his words were settling with his girlfriend. He tilted his book down to see her eyes glossy and her cheeks rosy. Noah tossed his book to his nightstand with little interest and sat up, drawing Lindsay closer. Clasping one hand around her shaky fingers and using his other to rub against her shoulder, Noah went into attentive mode. "Lindsay, what's wrong?"

Lindsay glared up at him, pushing his hands off of her. "I'm not dumb," she confirmed. "And I do respect you – or at least I _did_." She pushed herself off of him and away from the bed. "And pet-names aren't abstinent, they're _cute_."

Noah held back a chuckle at her obvious error. "_Abstinent_? If you were quoting me, don't you mean to say that they're not absurd…?"

"They aren't abstinent _or_ absurd!" Lindsay decided aloud. With the heels of her boots slamming into the floor, Lindsay rocketed out of the room and slammed the door shut. "But you are!" he heard her shout between her stomps of fury through the hall.

Noah was left feeling confused, alone, and… well, _really_ confused. In all his time it took to woo the blonde and gain her affections after Tyler left her for Heather of all people, he'd never seen Lindsay so enraged. He'd heard she had exploded at Heather for using her (and saw the episode with the footage many a time), but he had yet to see her get fired-up in person.

Sure, she wasn't as mad as she had been in that incident… but the fact she was mad was enough to cause worry.

Noah thought about it all night. He shouldn't have called her stupid. He shouldn't have thought so little of her. He shouldn't have called her out like that.

Even at the breakfast the next day, his thoughts were stuck on her like nothing else. She had decided to not sit by him, instead wondering away with Beth to sit near _Justin_.

"_Anti-Me_…" Noah hissed, his hands balled into fists as Lindsay favored those muscular and perfectly tanned arms. Those fingers had been caressing him hours ago before he screwed up, and now that jerk was taking in the pleasure of Noah's mistakes. _Oh… he'd pay…_

"Whoa, Noah, you okay there, pal?" Cody wondered, stuffing his face with Chef's _pleasant_ meal-goo. "You haven't touched a thing on your plate. Not that I blame you…"

"Does Bridgette call you nicknames?" Noah asked suddenly – borderline desperately.

Cody blushed. "Wha-what?"

"Does Bridgette call you nicknames? Err, pet-names?"

Cody backed up a bit, blinking at the sudden intensity of the conversation. "Whoa, chill out, man! I… I… uhh… I mean, she doesn't…"

"Of course she doesn't," Noah spat out bitterly. "It's because she's well aware of who she's dating. It's not like you have to worry about her calling you Geoff. She's well over him, isn't she?"

"Y-yeah…" Cody darted his eyes over to a particular blonde. "Does this have anything to do with –"

"Lindsay? _Oh yes_."

The bright-eyed boy cleared his throat, trying to fill the void of silence. "Right, well, if it helps… I mean, I don't know what's going on between you two, but you know I call Bridgette… um, nicknames sometimes."

"Oh do you now?" Noah wondered, not sounding thrilled with the news. "Like what?"

"Like… I'll call her Bridge or… or sometimes… wait, no… that's about it. Sorry, man."

Noah shoved his fork into the glob on his plate. "Hn, figures."

Cody drummed his fingers across the table, not looking comfortable with the atmosphere that befell the table or the dark looks Noah cast at Justin. "Say, Noah, you aren't breaking up with Lindsay or anything, are you?"

In a flash Noah's attention was on Cody. "Are you _mad_? That's the last thing I want to happen! It took me half this season of this miserable show to so much as get her attention, and it wasn't until we both got voted off and stuck in the latest Playa-version to make things official. It was a time-consuming process I'd hate to have to repeat!"

"So wait… you don't want to break up with her because it took so long to _get_ with her…?"

"It's an important factor," Noah admitted. "As is my adoration of her, but I doubt you'd want to hear about that."

Cody was about to say something until Bridgette sat beside him and pecked his cheek lovingly, drawing his attention. With his hands thrown up in defeat, Noah stalked away. His blood only boiled to new dangerous temperatures as he heard Justin call Lindsay 'baby' and 'sexy' several different times in one sentence.

His refusal to see things Lindsay's way or to admit defeat had dragged on through the morning. Noah had taken to reading his book by the poolside – a usually dangerous activity (especially ever since Izzy was voted off and stuck here) that he did any way to keep an eye on his girlfriend. Speaking of which, his girlfriend was currently chatting up Geoff and he seemed to be getting too cozy with her for Noah's liking.

Even from his distance, Noah could see him mouthing the words 'doll face' to her. Not being able to take much more babysitting, Noah stalked off to the solitude of his room. His point had clearly been proven – all the idiot males that had sunk to calling Lindsay 'pet-names' were proven players and flirts.

It was so obvious, it hurt. Pet names and 'cutesy' nicknames were just another method to make cheating easier. End of story.

… So then why couldn't she see that?

Noah let himself fall onto his bed, his head digging into his pillows in a last-ditch effort to control his emotions. It was driving him insane. Her refusal to understand where he was coming from and her refusal to give in was ruining him. It was a simple request – memorize his name, call him his name. What was so complicated about it? He called her Lindsay, didn't he?

Even now, he was still dealing with her trying to remember his complete name – all _two syllables_ of it. It had made his insides clamor in hurt when he had first kissed her and she mumbled a very distinct _Tyler_ against his lips. Since then, he hadn't gone in for a peck and had dodged his head when she tried to kiss him. He didn't want that again. He wanted to avoid it.

She could forget everyone else's name, but he wanted her to remember _his_. He'd be damned if they didn't overcome this first hurtle as a new couple.

"Noah?"

Hearing his name – almost like a Godsend – inspired him to fly off his bed and stand up straight and tall. "Lindsay," Noah greeted resentfully, eyes evened out and settled on her. He wasn't about to show any weakness, and she looked to be having the same thoughts as him.

"I was talking to just a few friends," she told him matter-of-factly. Noah snorted – yeah, right, _just_ _friends_. Justin and Geoff were great 'just friends' to have when you're a hot girl ignoring your boyfriend. "And they told me I was right and you were wrong, so nya." She stuck her tongue out and 'hmph'ed like any classy young lady in her position would.

Lindsay went dead quiet, waiting for him to agree. He didn't, and she cracked her eyes open. Noah was just standing there, shifting his eyes around her face like he was debating something. He decided to make a move and prove a point, and he swiftly fell into place in front of her.

"No-Noah?" she asked in shock as he took her into his arms and kissed her forehead. He hadn't kissed her since they started going out and she accidently called him the wrong name. He had been so distant in terms of getting this close like this… well, save for her snuggling him as he read. That was the closest he ever let her, and one of the reasons she was glad he was so into books.

"Yes, my love," he whispered into her silky tresses, planting light kisses across her hairline. "Yes, you were right. Darling, I have seen that you are in the right, dear. Oh my angel, how could I have been so blind to it before?" Lindsay smiled at the change of heart. Though she had a pang in her chest. She found she missed being called Lindsay.

Every time Noah had said her name, she felt warmer – _special_. She didn't mind being called other things, but she loved to hear him call her by her name. It was different when he said it. It was better.

She lifted her head up, ready for him to kiss her when she felt him freeze. "Oh _Heather_…"

That was the deal breaker. Her eyes flipped open. "Did you… just call me… _Heather_?"

Noah exhaled with his eyes wide as hers, and even Lindsay wasn't so naïve as to miss his apparent cynicism. "_Did I call you Heather_? How could I do such an unforgivable thing? After all, you are unmistakably Lindsay – my dear, darling, angelic Lindsay. How could I _ever_ mix up you with her?"

Lindsay was starting to get glossy eyes, and Noah realized he'd beat his limits to a pulp. But he had to stick to his guns… he couldn't stray… "If you want to call me pet-names and wrongs names and names that aren't Noah," he uttered huskily, his eyes dark with demand. "Then I have the same rights."

Lindsay shook her head. Sweet Lindsay looked as innocent as ever as she peered up at him, her baby-blues gushing with hope between her thick, batting eyelashes. "But you… you don't do it right. I call you names because I love you. I mean it. You… you're just a jerk when you do it. It makes it no fun."

She made to pull away, but Noah clung tighter. "You call me Tyler out of affection?" he muttered in disbelief, chuckling at the thought.

"Yes." Her answer had him shut-up and angry. He was now the one who wanted to back off, but she had her arms around his neck and pulling him to her. "I called you Tyler because I cared for Tyler. I loved Tyler the way I love you. _Duuuh_."

"Well then, who do you love exactly? Tyler or myself? I can assure you, we are two _very_ different people."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I _know_ that. Tyler had more muscle than you and his lips were never as chapped as yours are."

"Hey! I –"

Lindsay's hands had a firm hold behind Noah's neck when she decided to bring him down and connect her lips to his, giving him a kiss worthy of TV time. After a few minutes, Noah sighed and pulled out of it, his head leaning against hers and his arms weakly around her waist. "You call me those damned pet-names out of affection, huh?"

She nodded and he sighed again. "And they make you happy?" She nodded with more vigor and a wide smile, and he tossed his head back and went over to his bed, falling into place with his book on his lap. "Then who am I to object?" Noah smirked at her elated hop and he waved her over to slide into place beside him.

And later into the evening, as he was kissing her again and leaving his book forgotten about on the floor, he felt victorious as she unconsciously muttered, "Noah," against his lips.

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**It was dripping with sweetness, it was all kissing and couple-drama, it was unmistakable fluff. Hope everyone liked it. ^^ Who knows, if this Nosy one-shot was good enough, maybe a Noah/Lindsay fic might be worthwhile too? Hmm, it might be worth looking into…**

**And a quick explanation on why Noah was a bit jerky and Lindsay was a bit flighty, let me explain: I was trying to emphasize that they were a new couple, and if they started going out her innocence/ignorance and his cynicism/pessimism are bound to clash. Yeah, in case anyone missed that. And also, I made Lindsay a little bit smarter – i.e. she didn't mess his name up during this except for in flashbacks to show she cared. Her caring leads us back to… FLUFF! XP Awe… I'm an addict… do they have a forum for that, I wonder…?**


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